Discharge chute for stuffer crimpers



Oct. 29, 1963 H. E. HAIGLER, JR, ETAL 3,108,352

TUFFER CRIMPERS DISCHARGE CHUTE FOR s Filed May 23, 1960 INVENTORS Y E.HA/G'LER, JR, BfiORA CE 8. DOWEL L, JR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice 3,168,352 Patented Get. 29, 19633,108,352 DECHARGE QHUTE FUR STUFFER CIilMlERS Henry E. Haigler, .lr.,and Horace B. Dowell, .hu, Decatur, Ala, assignors, by mesneassignments, to Monsanto Chemical Company, a corporation of DelawareFiled May 23, 196i), Ser. No. 39,889 4 @laims. (Cl. 28-4) This inventionrelates to discharge chutes and more particularly to chutes forreceiving tow from a crimping device.

In the manufacture of synthetic fibers, a large number of individualfilaments are spun simultaneously to form a tow. This tow is then passedthrough a crimping device which both crimps the tow and cools the tow toset the crimp therein. The tow may then be sold as tow or cut intostaple fiber in a well-known manner, after which the staple fiber iscarded and drawn into yarn. The purpose of the crimping operation is toincrease resistance to relative movement between the staple fibers inthe finished yarn. It is well known that the condition of the towleaving the crimping device has a great deal to do with the quality andappearance of the yarn.

In a conventional crimping device, the heated tow is passed between apair of rollers which force the tow into a chamber commonly referred toas a stutfing box. A pivoted clapper bar mounted at one end of thestufiing box serves to provide a back pressure against which the rollersoperate to thereby fully crimp the tow. When the tow pressure inside thestufiing box exceeds a predetermined amount, the clapper bar swingsaside and the tow passes out of the stuffing box onto a discharge chute.One of the major disadvantages of this con ventional equipment is thatcrimping is not uniform and the cross-sectional configuration of the towpassing through the chute is entirely different from the rectangularcross section that the tow defines in the stuffing box. This is believedto be caused by erratic and excessive back pressures due to erraticfeed-in of the crimped tow from the stufiing box to the discharge chute.With this problem in mind, one of the objects of this invention is toprovide a novel and improved discharge chute for a tow crimping device.

Another object of this invention is to provide a discharge chute whichwill uniformly control the back pressure of a crimped tow leaving astuifing box.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a tow crimperdischarge chute which ofiers a back pressure to rollers feeding the towinto the chute and which will maintain the configuration of the towleaving the stufiing box.

A further object of this invention is to provide a discharge chute whichwill receive a crimped tow from a stuffing box without having the towfold over or depart from the rectangular cross-sectional configurationor" the tow in the stalling box.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a tow crimperdischarge chute wherein air pressure is utilized to hold the tow inengagement with a wall of the chute to thereby maintain a substantiallyrectangular cross-sectional configuration in the tow.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a tow crimperdischarge chute wherein the chute itself rather than a clapper bar isutilized to provide a back pressure for the tow being crimped.

One embodiment of this invention contemplates a tow crimper dischargechute wherein a curved chute extends from the lower end of a stuffingbox into which the tow is crimped and packed by a pair of crimpingrollers. A manifold extending along the chute is provided for drawingair through apertures in the floor of the chute so that until it reachesthe free end of the bathe.

when the tow leaves the stufling box and enters the chute the tow isheld tightly in engagement with the floor of the chute to offer a backpressure to the crimping rollers. The air passing through the tow notonly cools and sets the crimp in the tow, but also holds the tow againstthe floor of the chute so that the tow passing through the chute retainsits rectangular cross-sectional configuration.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent whenthe following detailed description is read in conjunction with theappended drawing in which:

The single FIGURE is a perspective view showing a crimped tow passingthrough the discharge chute of the present invention.

Refering now in detail to the drawing, there is shown a pair of crimpingrollers 11 which force a heated tow 12 into a stufiing box 13. Therollers 11, which are of a conventional design, are rotated at a highspeed in a well-known manner so that the tow 12 is crimped and forcedinto the stuffing box 13, the crimped tow taking on the cross-sectionalconfiguration of the stufling box. The stulfing box 13 is a conventionaltype with a rectangular cross-sectional configuration. It is notnecessary that the conventional clapper bar be used.

Extending from the lower end of the stufiing box 13 is a chute 14 whichcurves from a vertical direction at the stuffing box 13 to a horizontaldirection. In the stuffing box 13 the tow 12 is crimped and packed intoan elongated mass 17 which passes out of the stufiing box 13 onto thechute l4 and along this chute, from which it is picked up in anyconvenient manner.

A manifold 18 made of sheet metal, is secured to the chute 14 andextends from the upper end thereof substantially along the length of thechute for drawing air through a plurality of apertures 19 in the floorof the chute 14. The flow of air is eiiected by a fan 20 connected by aduct 21 to a chamber 22 communicating with the manifold 18. Theapertured area of the floor of the chute 14 extends from the upper endthereof substantially along the length of the chute.

To insure that a sufficient amount of air flows through the tow at thearcuate upper end of the chute 14, a baffie 25 is mounted in the chamber22. The battle 25 extends completely across the chamber 22 and extendsupward at one end to the floor of the chute 14. Air which passes throughthe apertures 19 above the bafile 25 must flow along the battle towardthe arcuate end of the chute 14 In effect, the battle 25 cooperates withthe floor of the chute 14 to form an open ended manifold through whichair is drawn into the chamber 22, the air passing through the open end.A damper 26 in the duct 21 serves to adjust the rate of air flow.

In operation of the device, the rolls 11 grasp the heated tow i2 andforce it down into the stuffing box 13 at a high rate of speed. Becauseof this high rate of speed, the tow assumes the rectangularcross-sectional configuration of the stuffing box 13. The mass ofcrimped tow passes downward out of the stuffing box 13 and onto thefloor of the chute 14. Since the fan 20 is withdrawing air through themanifold 18 and the apertures 19 in the chute 14, the mass 17 of crimpedtow is held tightly in engagement with the chute 14 to provide a uniformback pressure. The tow is pushed downward along the arcuate portion ofthe chute and then along the horizontal portion of the chute and istaken off the end of the chute in a well-known manner, the air havingset the crimp in the tow as it passed along the chute.

The use of this device results in a uniform back pressure and a uniformfeeding of the crimped tow from the stufiing box 13 onto the chute 14.The air passing through the crimped tow into the manifold 18 holds thetow against the surface of the chute 14 to prevent buckling or foldingof the tow as it passes along the chute. The tow retains its shape,thereby insuring a superior staple fiber. This also makes packaging ofthe tow easier, since there is less tangling when the tow has a uniformand tightly packed configuration.

It is to be understood that the embodiment disclosed herein is merelyillustrative and that many other embodiments may be contemplated whichwill fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A. discharge chute for a tow crimping device having a stuffingchamber therebelow, comprising a horizontal chute having an arcuate endextending upward to the stuffing chamber, said chute having an aperturedfloor terminating at the stufiing chamber for engaging a crimped towemerging from said chamber, a first manifold secured to the arcuate endof the chute in communication with the apertured floor thereof, achamber secured to the chute beneath the floor thereof and connected tothe first manifold, a bafile mounted in the chamber and cooperating withthe horizontal portion of the chute to defined an open-ended secondmanifold, a duct leading from the chamber, a fan connected to the ductfor drawing air through the apertured floor of the chute to hold the towagainst said fioor, and means in the duct for adjusting the rate of airflow.

2. A tow crimping device, comprising a stuffing chamber, a pair of rollsmounted adjacent to the chamber for forcing a tow into the chamber, achute extending downward from the chamber for engaging the crimped towleaving said chamber, means for controlling the back pressure on the towleaving the chamber, said means comprising a plurality of apertures insaid chute and means for drawing air through the apertures to hold thetow against the chute.

3. A tow crimping device, comprising a stuffing chamer, a pair of rollsmounted adjacent to the chamber for forcing a tow thereinto, a chuteextending vertically downward from the chamber, said chute having acurved upper end terminating in a horizontal portion, said chute beingpositioned to receive the crimped tow leaving the chamber, means forcontrolling the back pressure on the tow leaving the chamber, said meanscomprising a manifold secured to the chute, a plurality of apertures inthe chute and suction means connected to the manifold for continuouslydrawing air through the apertures to hold the tow against the chute.

4. A tow crimping device, comprising a stuffing chamher, a pair of rollsmounted adjacent to the chamber for forcing a tow thereinto, a chutehaving a floor aligned with an interior surface of the chamber forreceiving crimped tow from the chamber, said floor having a erticalportion adjacent to the chamber and a curved lower end terminating in ahorizontal portion, means for controlling the back pressure on the towleaving the chamber, said means comprising a manifold secured to thelloor of the chute, a plurality of apertures in the floor of the chute,and suction means connected to the manifold for drawing air through theapertures in the floor to hold the tow against said floor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,594,839 Kenyon Aug. 3, 1926 2,083,141 Buck June 8, 1937 2,538,972Magnani Jan. 23, 1951 2,781,947 Webster et a1 Feb. 19, 1957 2,894,334Thygeson July 14, 1959 2,924,001 Gundlach Feb. 9, 1960

1. A DISCHARGE CHUTE FOR A TOW CRIMPING DEVICE HAVING A STUFFING CHAMBERTHEREBELOW, COMPRISING A HORIZONTAL CHUTE HAVING AN ARCUATE ENDEXTENDING UPWARD TO THE STUFFING CHAMBER, SAID CHUTE HAVING AN APERTUREDFLOOR TERMINATING AT THE STUFFING CHAMBER FOR ENGAGING A CRIMPED TOWEMERGING FROM SAID CHAMBER, A FIRST MANIFOLD SECURED TO THE ARCUATE ENDOF THE CHUTE IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE APERTURED FLOOR THEREOF, ACHAMBER SECURED TO THE CHUTE BENEATH THE FLOOR THEREOF AND CONNECTED TO